Leaders and consumers across the country are speaking out about the ways the pandemic has highlighted failures in health care. But health care was broken long before COVID-19, and millions suffer as a result of the industry’s failure to meet and respond to the needs of individuals and patients: according to the CDC, 60% of Americans live with one or more chronic condition. We are seeing the consequences of this failure play out in real time.
The need to reimagine health care is urgent, and CVS Health is in the proper position to tackle the challenge. In our mission to help people on their path to better health, we understand that health and wellness is a very personal journey, and we are creating a more connected network of support to respond to individuals’ immediate and chronic health care concerns.
Our unique and extensive health care experience is transforming the industry. Unlike traditional health care companies, CVS Health is embedded in communities, often a routine part of daily life. We work to know our customers personally — their challenges, common questions, needs, and aspirations. Sitting at the intersection of institutional health care and personal, daily life, CVS Health has unique insight into the health of local communities as well as the gaps in the patient experience. As a result, our approach to health care is holistic, accessible, responsive, and highly personalized.
By combining the data, services, and capabilities of our providers, health plans, community partners, health technology, and pharmacists, we unlock new avenues for proactive, preventive, and personalized care. In our model, new and meaningful channels for health care offer individualized, daily support. Our HealthHUB® locations provide an example of this approach, representing a new, critical health care channel for communities.
Launched in 2018, HealthHUB locations combine expanded in-store clinical services, upgraded virtual care and telehealth, personalized guidance, and individual pharmacy recommendations with community resources, offering a supportive network that addresses both the clinical and social determinants of health. At a HealthHUB location, every customer is seen and treated as a unique individual, and personalized guidance is customized to each person’s schedule, budget, and needs.
The personalized in-store HealthHUB experience is coupled with integrated care management and health plan benefits optimization, resulting in continuous support, regardless of whether an individual is in-store or at home. The resources available through a HealthHUB mean that patients can access everything they need to manage their health whenever and wherever is right for them, keeping them on track with care plans and offering new resources for support. This is especially powerful for those managing the arduous daily demands of one or more chronic conditions.
By offering a patient-centered engagement model for care, our HealthHUB locations can improve individual health outcomes, leading to the successful management of chronic conditions, fewer out-of-pocket costs, and avoided medical procedures and emergency services. Ultimately, these individual successes have an aggregate effect, uplifting the health of entire communities. In this way, CVS Health is helping individuals, families, and communities stem the tide of preventable and reversible chronic conditions.